Game #13
SIUE Cougars (1-11, 0-1 OVC)
at Southeast Missouri Redhawks (5-7, 0-1 OVC)
Saturday, December 31st, 12:00 PM
Show Me Center (7,000), Cape Girardeau, Missouri

LAST GAME: SIUE led by one after the opening quarter and trailed by three at half, but a 16-2 run by Tennessee Tech in the third put the game out of reach as the Golden Eagles downed the Cougars 85-70 on Thursday night at First Community Arena. Tennessee Tech outscored SIUE 27-12 in the third quarter and shot 52 percent (12-23) while holding the Cougars to just 35 percent (5-14). SIUE finished the contest shooting 45 percent (26-58) and 29 percent (4-14) from beyond the arc while converting on 58 percent (14-24) of its free throws.

CAREER-HIGHS: Sofie Lowis (22) and Ajulu Thatha (20) collected career-highs in points last time out vs. Tennessee Tech. Lowis's 20-point outing marked the sixth double-figure game of her career.

DUCKWORTH DID IT: Freshman forward Destine Duckworth finished with a career-high seven rebounds against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Ajulu Thatha has recorded three double-doubles this season, including last time out vs. TTU. Thatha's double-figure rebounding effort against the Golden Eagles marked her sixth this season and 27th of her career.

CRASH THE GLASS: Junior forward Olivia Clayton is tied for sixth in the OVC averaging 2.0 offensive rebounds per game. Her 22 total offensive boards co-lead the Cougars with Ajulu Thatha. Thatha (1.8) is tied for 10th in the conference.

DISH IT AND TAKE IT: KK Rodriguez ranks ninth in the OVC averaging 2.8 assists per game. The 5-6 transfer from Tulsa leads SIUE with 28 this season. Rodriguez is also tied for 15th in the conference averaging 1.5 steals per contest.

SHOOT YOUR SHOT: Sophomore guard Molly Sheehan ranks fifth in the OVC connecting on 1.8 three-pointers per contest. She leads the Cougars with 21 from deep. Sheehan's 18 points at NIU on Dec. 17 marked a new career high.

LOWIS IS LEADING: Sophomore guard Sofie Lowis leads the Cougars over their last five games averaging 14.6 points per game. Her 10.0 points per game ranks 16th in the conference while her 120 total points lead the Cougars.

AT THE HELM: Samantha Quigley Smith is in her second season in charge of SIUE She owns a 14-29 record with the Cougars and a combined collegiate record of 164-70 as head coach.